Architecture firms Nordic Office of Architecture, Grimshaw, Haptic and consultants STUP have won the competition to design a carbon-neutral terminal for Delhi Noida International Airport in India.

Delhi Noida International Airport will be built in Jewar, 25 miles south of Delhi, by developer Zurich Airport International.

The winners, who promised to design "India's greenest airport", saw off competition from rival teams Gensler and Arup, and SOM and Mott McDonalds.

A goal of carbon net-zero and a LEED Gold standard certification has been set for the airport terminal, which will have the capacity to serve 30 million passengers per year.

Carbon net-zero, also known as carbon-neutral design, is a term for buildings that seek to remove as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they put in.

The winning design for the terminal building features indoor trees and a landscaped courtyard within the building, to bring in the light and to ventilate the space. Green spaces are also planned for the airport forecourt.

"Delhi Noida International Airport will become a unique new gateway to the world city of Delhi and to the state of Uttar Pradesh," said Nordic founding partner Gudmund Stokke.

"Nordic, Grimshaw, Haptic and STUP will combine the collective experience and knowledge from the airports in Hyderabad, Oslo, Istanbul and Zurich to create a truly modern, innovative and green airport, based in a region of strong historic and cultural tradition."

The team has previously collaborated on Istanbul New Airport Terminal One in Turkey. Nordic designed the Oslo Airport and extended it in 2017 and, along with Haptic, has master-planned a "sustainable city of the future" to be built next door to the terminal.

Grimshaw's plans to expand London's Heathrow airport have been given the go-ahead once more, after climate change activists' argument that the expansion would contravene the UK's commitment to the Paris Agreement was overturned in the country's top court.

Foster + Partners and Zaha Hadid Architects, two top British practices, opted out from climate change network Architects Declare over their decision to continue designing airports for clients.

Images courtesy of Grimshaw.

Project credits:

Master architect team: Nordic Office of Architecture, Grimshaw, Haptic Architects, STUP Consultants
Consultants: NACO – Netherlands Airport Consultants, Urban Systems Design, AKTII, SLA, COWI, Alan Thompson, Studio Fractal, AEON Consultants, T2 Consulting
Developer: Zurich Airport International